Trends of Birth Prevalence of Congenital Musculoskeletal Anomalies: A Retrospective Time Series Study From a Tertiary Care Centre in Chennai

Background: Congenital musculoskeletal anomalies are still significant contributors to perinatal morbidity and mortality. However, data related to long-term series from India are scant, especially including all delivery outcomes. Understanding the trend of CMA is thus necessary for antenatal detection, strengthening surveillance systems, and planning targeted public health interventions. Aim and Objective: To determine the birth prevalence and long-term trends of congenital musculoskeletal anomalies and to evaluate the distribution, pattern, and temporal variations of these anomalies over a 15-year period in a tertiary care teaching hospital in Chennai. Materials and Methods: A retrospective time-series study was conducted in a hospital setting from January 2010 to December 2024 using the records at Sri Ramachandra Institute of Higher Education and Research. All outcomes of deliveries-live births, stillbirths, intrauterine fetal deaths, and medical terminations-were included. Cases of CMA were identified and classified by using ICD-10. Data cleaning and verification were done, and analysis for calculating the yearly prevalence, block-wise distribution, sex-wise pattern, and specific anomaly trend, including CTEV, was performed. Temporal trends were assessed using linear regression. Results: The trend for the overall prevalence of CMA from 2010 to 2024 ranged between 4.6 and 15.0 per 1,000 births, with no significant trend over time (β = −0.033, p = 0.866). Block-wise rates depicted a wide fluctuation in G Block (0.00 to 30.91 per 1,000) compared to the steadier pattern in Udayar Block (5.14 to 13.95 per 1,000) without significant annual change. The prevalence of CTEV ranged from 0.66 to 5.84 per 1,000 births and demonstrated a significant upward trend in both males (β = 0.214, p = 0.042) and females (β = 0.187, p = 0.031). Most CMA cases belonged to the newborn group or accounted for 70-90 percent, with the highest MTP proportion in the year 2022, amounting to 47.4 percent. In newborns and MTP cases, CMA prevalence showed a significant increasing trend over time in both, reflecting improvement in detection and reporting. Conclusion: This analysis of fifteen years shows that the overall prevalence of CMA remained stable with no statistically significant trend, while CTEV and gender-specific CTEV demonstrated significant upward patterns. The persistence of CMA throughout this period emphasizes the need to enhance congenital anomaly surveillance, ensure consistent antenatal screening, and widen early diagnostic services within maternal and child health systems.